Island



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WALTER J. REYNOLDS, OF PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND.

PROCESS OF TREATING SHORT ANIMAL-HAIR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 264,103, datedSeptember 12, 1882.

Application'filed July 3, 1882.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, WALTER J. REYNOLDS, ofthecity and county ofProvidence, and State of Rhode Island, have invented anew and useful Process for Treating Short Animal-Hair; and I herebydeclare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description ofthe same.

This invention has reference to an improved process for treating thehair from cows, oxen, and calves, and other short hair from animals; andit consists in the various steps of the process by which elasticity andstiffness is imparted to the hair, so as to make it useful forupholstery and similar purposes, as will be more fully set forthhereinafter.

In carrying out my invention I take the hair as it comes from the tannerand thoroughly wash and cleanse it, so as to remove all glutinousmatter; and to accomplish this most thoroughly I boil the hair in waterin which soda-ash, or its equivalent, is dissolved. Thethoroughly-washed hair 1 now dry, and then open the same by means of anopener or picker machine. I now clean the opened hair by carding in acarding-engine, and twist the carded hair into roping, which is thenagain twisted into or tied into knots. The hair, in the knotted form, isnow immersed in a bath containing seventy-five gallons of water, fivepounds of frozen glue, or what is termed furnitu re-glue, five poundsofstarch, three pounds of alum, and one or two pounds of oil of redcedar. From two to three hundred pounds of hair can be placed into abath of the above quantity. I now boil the hair in this solution fromfour to five hours, remove the hair, drain the same, and then eithersubject the hair to pressure or place the same into a hydro-extractor,so as to remove as much as possible of the solution. I now thoroughlykiln-dry the hair in the knotted state, and when thoroughly (N0specimens.)

dried I open the same in a picker-such as is used for opening hair.

By this process a hard sizing is imparted to all parts of the hair. Thehair becomes suffer and more elastic. It can be used for upholstery andother purposes for which it was not useful heretofore, and as the hairis impregnated with the oil of red cedar it will not be attacked bymoths.

The object of this invention being to add stiffness and springinesstothe hair, it is obvious that materials equivalent to the glue, starch,and alum may be used in their stead. Among. such is the concentratedenamel made of boiled linseed-oil, Prussian blue, and other minoringredients, to which oil of red cedar may be added, and the hairimmersed and treated before and after such immersion as hereining cowsand similar hair, the same consisting in cleaning the hair and boilingthe same in water containing glue, starch, alum, and oil of red cedar,or their equivalents, as and for the purpose described.

WALTER J. REYNOLDS.

Witnesses:

J 0s. A. MILLER, M. E. EMERSON.

